Glassware spotter



Pa tented Oct. 27, 1936 PATENT OFFICE GLASSWARE SPOTTER Carl B. Ohm, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Hartford-Empire Company, Hartford, Comm, a corporation of Delaware Application May 1, 1933. Serial No. 668.167 Claims. '(Cl. 198-29) This invention relates to devices for positioning articles of glassware on a conveyor to which the articles are delivered from a forming machine. The invention has particular relation to 5 devices for spotting articles of glassware on a conveyor in the proper position for removal by an automatic lehr stacker which picks up the articles and arranges them on the conveyor belt of a lehr. It is important that the articles of glassware be definitely located at the point of removal or picking-up point so that they may be grasped by the lehr stacker. Also, it is desirable that the articles be. orientated each to the same position when they are non-circular in cross section, to permitcloser and more uniform stacking of the ware on the conveyor belt.

The general object of this invention is to provide' a novel device for spotting glassware on a conveyor or the like, which operates efficiently tolocate the articles at the picking-up point for removal by a lehr stacker or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel device of the above character which is adapted to orientate successive articles to the same position in addition to spotting the articles for removal or picking up.

It also is an object of this invention to provide a novel spotting device of the above character which is constructed and arranged to move out of the path of glassware on the conveyor to permit the ware. to move away from the point of removal in the event it is not picked up because of failure of the stacker to operate. This 35 prevents piling up of glassware at the pickingup position.

Other objects of the invention will be brought out in the description of a preferred embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying draw- 40 ing or will become apparent therefrom.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical sectional elevation illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

5 Fig. 2 is a view in top plan of the construction shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the connection of the spotter with the spotter arm; and

50 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in top plan of timing mechanism for timing the operation of the spotter with lehr stacker.

A conveyor with which the spotting device is associated is indicated generally at t and com- 55 prises a casting t and a flexible endless belt 6.

The conveyor may be of known construction and does not per se form apart of the present invention. It may be driven intermittently or continuously by suitable means (not shown).

Articles of glassware are removed from the "conveyor by a lehr stacker or the like, the tongs of which are shown at l, the articles previously having been delivered to the conveyor from a forming machine (not shown). One of such articles is shown at 8. The articles are located 10 by spotter 9 which, as shown, is a V-shaped member removably and/or adjustably connected to the spotter arm H! by a thumb-nut ii and screw it. The arm II] is slotted as shown at H to permit adjustment of the spotter 9 thereon 15 transversely of the conveyor. I I

The spotter 9 may vary in shape and size from that shown. It is preferred, however, that its shape be such as to position each article of ware.

at the picking up point and laterally with re-' 20 spect to the sides of the conveyor and also to orientate each article to the same position, if the were is non-circular. The spotter 9, as shown, may be exchanged with other spotters (not shown) of varying sizes and/or shapes. 25

The spotter arm id is carried by the rod it of piston in in the cylinder it. Admission and exhaust of air to and from the upper and lower ends of cylinder it through conduits ill and it causes the reciprocation of the piston and raising and lowering of the spotter. The supply and exhaust of air is controlled by a suitable rotary valve is having an inlet pipe 28, and which is timed by a gear 2!] driven by the lehr stacker, or the conveyor, or some other machine drive with which the stacker is synchronized. For example as shown in Fig. 4, the gear 2t may be driven by a gear Ht which is one of the driven gears forming 'a part of the well-known Hartford stacker, shown for example in Patent 1,878,156, granted 40 September 20, 1932, to E. H. Lorenz.

The piston and its rod, and hence the spotter arm and spotter, are oscillated as a result of the cooperation of roller it with barrel cam 23 formed integrally with the upper head of cylinder it. Thus, when the piston moves down: wardiy, the spotter arm and spotter are swung downwardly and counter -clockwise from the dotted line position, to the full-line operative position and vice versa. The downward movement is assisted by a tension spring M connected between the cylinder and piston rod, as shown and the last part of such movement is vertical due to the shape of cam 23. the bottom portion of which is vertical as shown in Fig. 1.. The downward movement of the spotter arm and spotter permits the spotter to spot each article without giving it such a push as would cause it to slide backwards along its path and hit a succeeding article, as might occur if the arm were moved only horizontally.

Thus, the spotter is swung from a position at one side of the conveyor, to a position transverse of the path of travel of the conveyor and of the ware thereon. The spotter engages each article in turn and at equal time intervals, locating each;

of them at the right position to be removed by tongs "I. If the ware is non-circular, the V-' notched spotter giveseach article the same orientation which permits uniform and most com pact stacking on the lehr belt. Should the tongs I fail to remove an article of ware,

the swinging of the spotter and spotter armto inoperative (dotted line) position .will permit the unremoved article to be carried on by the conveyor, thus preventing unremoved ware from piling up at the removal point and interfering with the operation of the spotter. The spotter, of course, returns to operative position after each unremoved article is carried on past the removal point, in time to engage and spot the next article.

Various changes may be made in the construction and operation of the illustrated embodiment of the invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In glassware handling apparatus, including a conveyor which transports articles of glassware to, and from which articles are removed at, a piekingup point and a pick-up device adapted to remove ware at such point, a spotter for locating successive articles onthe surface of the conveyor at the picking-up point, and means for bodily oscillating the spotter into and out of the path of articles on said conveyor, including timing means whereby the spotter is moved into operative position to spot each article at said point at the time said pick-up device arrives at said point to remove the article.

2. In glassware handling apparatus, including a conveyor which transports articles of glassware to, and from which said articles are removed at, a picking-up point and a pick-up device adapted to remove ware at such point, a spotter for successively locating the articles on the surface of the conveyor for removal at the picking-up point, and means for periodically oscillating the spotter to move it bodily into operative position over the conveyor to spot successive articles and out of such operative position to permit unremoved articles to be carried past the picking-up point, including timing means whereby the spotter is moved into operative position to spot each article at said point at the time said pick-up device arrives at said point to remove the article.

3. In glassware handling apparatus, including a conveyor which transports articles of glassware to, and from which said articles are removed at, a picking-up point and a pick-up device adapted to remove ware at such point, a spotter for locating successive articles on the surface of the conveyor for removal at the picking-up point, said spotter being constructed and arranged to orientate saidarticles to the same position, and means for periodically oscillating said spotter to move it bodily into and out of operative position, including timing means whereby the spotter is moved into operative position to spot each article at said point at the time said pick-up device arrives at said point to remove the article.

4. In glassware handling apparatus, including a conveyor which transports articles to, and which are removed at, a picking-up point and a pickup device adapted to remove ware at such point, a spotter for locating the articles on the conveyor for removal at the picking-up point, and means for periodically oscillating said spotter and for moving it vertically downwardly into operative position and upwardly into inoperative position out of the path of glassware on the conveyor, including timing means whereby the spotter ismoved into operative position to spot each article at said point at the time said pickup device arrives at said point to remove the article.

5. In glassware handling apparatus, including a conveyor which transports articles to, and which are removed at, a picking-up point and a pick-up device adapted to remove ware at such point, a v-shaped spotter for locating successive articles on the conveyor for removal at the picking-up point, an arm carrying said spotter, and means including an air motor connected to said arm for oscillating the spotter and for moving it vertically downwardly into ware-engaging position and upwardly into a position out of the path of glassware on said conveyor, including timing means whereby the spotter is moved into 7 operative position to spot each article at said point at the time said pick-up device arrives at said point to remove the article.

CARL B. OHRN. 

